Recovering gasoline



April 2o 1926. 1,581,212

.A F. E'. HosMER REGOJERING GA-SOLINE Filed may 14, 1920 31a/vento@ Patented A131320, 1926. i.

i LES-LZ1@ VFRED E. Hosivinn, or

Application led Mayy 14,

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it kn'oivn that LFRED, E. 'HosMEm av citizen ot the United States, residing at Fort `IVoi-th, in the county of Tarrantand State "of Texas,have-invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Recovering Gasoline, of. which the following is -a specification. i. V

vThis invention vrelates ,to recovering gasoline; and it'comprses a method of recovering gasoline 'from natural gas wherein such gas is placed under pressure `by a. suitable pui'np, is cooled to causev it to deposit conde nsable gasolineand isfthen further supercooled by causing' an evaporation of condensedlgasoline in heat removing relationshipithereto, thereby depositing a further portion ot gasoline ;'the gasoline vapors produced in such va-poa'tion being returned to the gas inlet of said pump; all as more fulu ly hereinafter set forth .and as claimed.

It is the obj ectof the present invention to provide la simple, ready and economical method of recovering condensable hydrocarbons or gasoline from? natural gas, casing lie-.id gus, Veto.` containingr the same; using a high degreel of cooling in yconnection with coiiipresf-ion and attainingtlie cooling b the action of a port-ion of the condensed vo atile productsrecovered. In the-recovery of gasoline from natural gas and the like, compression is often used and -in addition to the compression there is a certain degree ot :cooling employed.. vBut in all the methods involvingsupercooling, the super-cooling is" derived from outside sources or by the ex- ,ans-ion ot a com ircssed was. The methods und apparatus 'proposed are unduly-complicated und unduly costly.

l In the ptesent invention I have devised a' simple rmethod' ot' vrecovering gasoline land` other volatile liquids from-.natural gas 'and sure and cooling are employed. but wherein onliy a. relatively low :compression is lused :ind expensive refrigeration. nia5'3hineryv is not nccessz-ir gas .to be treated into the suction side otra suitable conipression' pump and compress it as may be 4 desiredv sav, to about pounds per square inchlifg? igher or lower pressuresmay be used but'ivith most gas;-y

operating under the presentinvent-i'on, about 125 pounds pressure works very well.. gli rom -lbe .attaiineg ,-'In this method Italie the- FORT WORTH, TEXAS.

l :RECOVERING Gfiisoirrui..`

izo; seai No. 381,326.

this puinpnthe compressed gas is taken' to an ordinary type of cooler, air cooled or water cooledas the case may be, to rid it of the heat of compression. A certain amount of condensable liquid (gasoline) is ordinarily produced and this is collected ina trap tank. The cooled compres3ed gas non7 enters refrigerating coils ina closed casing and is exposed 'to the evaporation of a certain amount/'of condensed gasoline outside the coils. fThis causes a supercooling elect and n results yin the production of a further amount of gasoline which is caught in another trap tank. yThe gasoline used vfor, lrefrigeratio'n-mayr come from either trap tank.'- The gasoline vapors produced by evaporation vin the refrigerating apparatus enclosing therefrigerati-ng coils are sentback to thejsuction pipe of the pump and rejoin gas going through the system.v The gas after thissupereooling is ofcourse very cold and is underV pressure. Either the cold or the pressurej'orboth may be utilizedv `in the present invention or may be appliedi to .othery uses; this depending on localcon-l lditions. For. example, the cold may be used for preeooling the gas going tothe supercool-ing device; an ordinary heat exchangery being used. Or 'if it is not desired itouisethe pressure of the stripped gasifor linepressure, or all of 4such pressure, the stripped',` 'gas may be expanded linto the 'precooleigv giving aniadditional cooling effect equivalent to thel amount of pressure releasedz ,y v

In many` installations -gas is draivnarom the `field line by a suction pump or vacuum pump. In this event.,` the gases coming from;

the vucuiinr pumpff'inay be delivered to the j v coiripressionI-pump and the `return'ffot gestif line vapors vfrointhe refrigerating coils'may be back tothe suct-ion pump operatingon the {ield line. By so doing, a higher degree other gases containing-vapors Whereinpreslot suction "isp-available in the refrigerating apparatus and ai higher degree of cold may l tlie ..-described .method beaioted v its'ide medium is en'iploy'ed'for yrc- 'frigeifatioir A Ilittle .of thecondensed gasolooting tanks. is used "to Il i'roduc'e'ireirigerzr` tion ..and is then sent back int-ov thesysteni to go once more to the collectingtanks.v In

vso operating, there is, so lo speak, a local excess of gasoline vapor; the concentration source of gas communicates suction pump 2,l

discharging gas under more or less pressure through 3. The gas is cooled in diagrammatically shown cooler 4, using water or air as the case may be, and passes thence throu h inlet 5 to compression pump 6 wherein it is placed under such pressure as may be desired. Compressed gas with the heat of compression passes out of the ump through pi e7 oing thence to coo er 8, which ina e, as efore, either Water cooled or aircoo ed. In this cooler the compressed gas ordinarily deposits more or less gasoline which passes together with uncondensed 'gas by means of conduit 9 to trap tank 10, wherein the liquid isseparated from the gas. From the trap tank the gas may, as shown o by 11, alternatively, directly to supercooling coils l3 (shown in dotted lines) in ex-` -pansion casings 14 and 15, or it may 'go first 4 desire through precooler 12.' Branch line 12 leads from 11 through the precooler back to 11. Line 11 is valved at 11a. From the supercoolers the gas emerges, thoroughly chilled,r by pipe 16, leading to a second trap tank or liquid separating device 17. From 17 colddry gas, still under pressure, emerges at 18 and is led to any suitable place of use (not shown As much cold dry gas as may be may be led by 18a to the precooler casing (12), wherein it may be allowed to expand to such extent as may be desiied. From the precooler easing gas is vented at 18". Condensed li uid in the first trap tank may pass by means of valved line 19 to a stock tank 20. Condensed liquidfroni the second trap tank mayhsiniilarly pass to the same stock tank by means ot' line'21. Rcturning to the refrigerating casings (14 and I 15), they are supplied through suitable expansion nozzlesiwith a portion of the condensed gasoline which evaporates Within them to produce cold. This condensed gasoline maybe drawn from thesecond' trap tank through valved line 22 or from the iirst trap tank through valved outlet 23. `In either case it enters the interior of the refrigerating devices through 24. Evaporatin'g within the refrigerating devices the gasoline vapors produced leave the devices through 25 and 26, and are taken by line 27 'back to the suction side of the suction -cooling can be produced in the refrigeratiug devices.

lVliile I have described vthe present process and apparatus as particularly applicable to the recovery of gasoline from natural gas,

'it is obvious that they may be equally well applied to the recovery of any other volatile liquid from gases carrying the same, as 1n the treatment of coke oven gases to recover light beiizol, the treatment of various industrial gases carrying alcohol, acetone, etc., to any other purposes to which they may be adapted.

Liquid condensates froinl() or 17 enter ing the supercooler casings pass through suitable expansioii valves or nozzles; as docs gas from 18 entering the lprecooler easing.

`What I claim is In the recovery of vapors from gases, the

process which comprises supplying the gas together. with a certain amount of addi tional vapors directly to the suction 'side otl a pump, compressing and coolingtlie mixed gas and vapors, further preeooling by heat transfer to cold dry tail gas, supercooling by evaporation of `a port-ion Aof the liquid condensed in said various operations, retiii'iiini'l' the vapors produced 1n saideifaporation back to the suction side ofsajid andret-iirn` ing cold dry .tail gases `comingfi'-rom the super-cooling operationb'ack for preeooling.

Iiiftestiinony whereof, Ifalli inysigiiiu tiire hereto.

FRED E. HOSIIR. 

